8 Simple Exercises To Reduce Tummy Fat Post Pregnancy

Your baby is in front of you now and you don’t need to just feel but see him right there! But why do you still feel that heaviness in the abdomen? Yes, the fact that your baby is now not there, doesn’t show up. Your tummy is still in that expanded form! If you don’t start exercising to reduce your tummy fat soon after pregnancy, chances are you will have it for years together. So, act now, learn and do exact exercises to reduce tummy fat post pregnancy.

Is it safe to exercise after pregnancy?

This is what comes to your mind as soon as you read ‘exercise post pregnancy!’ But it is almost always safe to start doing light exercises like walking and easy yoga poses to lose weight after pregnancy. Yes, for vigorous exercises, you must wait for at least 6-8 weeks or longer based on your doctor’s advice.

Because your pregnancy is (or was) unique to you, your complications too are unique. So, it is suggested, before doing exercises to reduce tummy fat post pregnancy, first consult with your doctor and then proceed forward.

If your doctor gives you the green signal, start doing these exercises and reduce your belly fat after pregnancy.

What Exercises to do to Reduce Tummy Fat after Pregnancy?

Start with walking soon after giving birth to your baby. Gradually move to some simple yoga poses, especially ‘Pranayama’ breathing exercise that not only boost your metabolism and make you stress free but also reduce your tummy fat.

1. Pranayama to Reduce Tummy Fat after Pregnancy

Deep breathing exercises taught in Yoga are excellent ways to regulate your metabolism. When you breathe just the right way, you take in more oxygen. This burns more calories. All your body systems get awakened and you spend more energy, more calories. Thus, you lose weight. Certain Pranayama exercises work directly upon abdominal area such as Bhastrika and Kapalbhati Pranayama. Do them and lose belly fat even after pregnancy.

How to do Bhastrika Pranayama?

Sit on ground or mat in crossed legged position. Be comfortable with a straight spine.

Close your eyes and place your hands over your crossed legs

Inhale deeply

Exhale

Repeat for 8-10 times

Now do this faster- inhale deeply and exhale faster

You will feel like bellow that is used to blow air into a fire.

Initially do this for 1-2 minutes

Gradually increase this to 5 minutes. Never do more than this.

How to do Kapalbhati Pranayama?

Sit comfortably on ground or mat with your legs crossed (Padmasana or Sukhasana)

Place your hands on your knees and relax

Inhale deeply and exhale

While exhaling, take out all the air from your lungs and abdomen. Your abdomen contracts when you do this.

Now breathe by focusing just on exhaling. You will breathe in naturally, you need not focus on it.

Exhale with force making a hissing sound from nose

With each exhalation of breath, your abdomen contracts

Keep exhaling forcefully like this for the count of 20. This makes one round

Initially do 1-2 rounds only

Gradually increase the rounds as per your comfort and convenience

Kapalbhati Pranayama has two major benefits. One, it detoxifies your lungs to purify your respiratory system and second, it reduces belly fat.

2. Kneeling Pelvic Tilt to reduce Belly Fat Post Pregnancy

This is one of the easiest exercises that you can do after pregnancy and target your tummy fat in the most effective manner. It tones your tummy and strengthens your abs, just what you need to reduce that post-delivery-belly!

Get into four point kneeling position. Your lower leg- from knees to toes- touch the ground behind you and your palms rest on the floor just beneath your chest, straight down from your shoulder

Release your back slowly and drop your tummy while pulling down your lower back

Repeat 5-10 times

3. Kegel Exercises After Pregnancy to reduce Tummy

These are the pelvic floor exercises. As the name suggests, Kegel exercises are done to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic area or the lower abdomen. After pregnancy, pelvic muscles get weakened and Kegel exercises help a lot to tone your abdominal area. Toned tummy obviously isn’t a fat tummy!

Lie down on your back and bend your legs from knees. Your feet should be flat touching the ground while knees are up and together

Squeeze your pelvic muscles, tighten them gently and then relax them.

You may also do this exercise while sitting or standing

Initially squeeze your pelvic muscles only for 2-5 seconds. Gradually increase the period and take it to 15-20 seconds.

4. Leg Raise Exercises to Reduce Tummy Post Pregnancy

Leg raises or leg lifts are one of the most effective ways to lose fat from abdominal area. These exercises work to strengthen your weakened belly muscles, more so after pregnancy. You will not only tone the leg muscles but also lose that belly fat, making you fit and fabulous post pregnancy.

Start with Single Leg Raises

Lie down on your back on the floor.

Take your arms behind your head.

While breathing out, raise your right leg off the floor.

Hold it midway at about 45 degrees angle for 3-5 seconds initially.

While breathing in, lower your raised leg.

Repeat with the left.

Do 5 times each with both the legs

Do Double Leg Raises

Lie down on your back on the floor.

Take your arms behind your head.

While breathing out, raise both your legs off the floor.

Hold at 45 degrees for 5-7 seconds or more if you can

While breathing in, bring them down

Repeat for 5-10 times

Scale up to Advanced Leg Crunches

Lie down on your back on the floor.

Take your arms behind your head.

Bend the legs from knees at 90 degrees, feet remain lifted

While exhaling, lift the head with support of your hands beneath and bring the shoulders up towards the knees while pulling in the knees together

While inhaling, go back to the original position

Repeat 5-10 times

Legs and Hands Raises

Lie down on back and bent the knees at 90 degrees, feet remain up in the air

While inhaling, extend your left leg out and right hand up above the head

While exhaling, bring hand and leg back to the original position

Now extend your right leg out and left hand up above the head while breathing in

Come back to original position while breathing out

Repeat for 5-10 times

5. Crisscross Crunch to Reduce Belly Fat Post Pregnancy

Along with your lower abs, you also need to work out your upper abs so that you get a real flat tummy. Crisscross crunch is one of the best exercises for this.

Lie down on back and bent the knees at 90 degrees

Place your hands behind your head

Keep elbows wide open

Lift your head along with right shoulder and bring them towards your left knee while pulling in the knee. Try to touch the right elbow to your left knee

Now bring the left shoulder to the right knee while pulling in the knee and touch it with the left elbow

Keep repeating for about 1-2 minutes

6. Pilates and Core Exercises after Pregnancy

You can do these exercises to strengthen your core and lose belly fat after 8-12 weeks of giving birth to your baby. If you have had a C-section, wait at least for 12 weeks and then talk to your doctor. Once given clearance, you can do these Pilates and core strengthening exercises to get back your pre pregnancy body.

Bring your navel in towards your spine while rolling your lower back away from your hips. Initially roll back only that far which is comfortable for you

Inhale and stay in the position for a while, a couple of seconds

Come back to the original position while exhaling

Repeat 3-5 times

Toe Taps

Toe tap exercise is a basic abdominal exercise that works out your abdominal muscles isometrically. Isometric exercise or those types of strength training where the joint angle and muscle length don’t change during contraction. This is a good exercise for new mothers who have had C-section delivery.

Lie down on your back

Keep your arms next to your sides. Your palms should touch the floor.

Bend your knees to stack them over hips at 90-degree angle. Your thighs should remain perpendicular to the ground while your lower legs are parallel to the floor.

Now lower your left foot towards the floor and tap your toe on the floor lightly. Immediately pull your leg back to the original position.

Repeat with your right leg and then again with left leg

Repeat the exercise for about 10-20 times or as much as you wish to

Pilates One Hundreds exercise to reduce belly fat

It is called hundreds exercise because you hold the exercise for 100 beats. It increases your torso stability and makes your abdominal muscles strong.

Lie down on the floor or mat

Lift your knees and bring them to your chest, hug them with both your hands

Lift your head, neck and shoulders and bring them close to your bent knees.

Release the knees and stretch your legs keeping them straight diagonally up in the air. Your hands now rest at your sides

Your head, neck and shoulder remain up in the air, as were in original position

Now thump your hands vigorously up and down while breathing in and out, inhale deeply for 5 beats, exhale forcefully for 5 beats.

Your arms keep moving up and down vigorously while you breathe in for beats and then breathe out for 5 beats.

You need to do 10 rounds that will make it hundred

7. Bridge Exercise to Lose Belly Fat Post Pregnancy

This is not only to lose tummy fat but also to strengthen your core. After pregnancy, you badly need to work upon your core as it gets destabilized and has weakened muscles. Bridge exercise will work your hips, glutes, core, and hamstrings apart from helping you to reduce tummy fat.

Stay in the bridge position for few seconds and come back to the original position

Repeat for 5-10 times or more

8. Forearm Plank to Lose Strengthen Core Post Pregnancy

Planks and side planks are excellent exercise to do to strengthen your entire core. This also engages your abdomen well. You can get flat tummy faster when you do planks with other exercises.

Get into plank position. For this lie down on your stomach and raise your whole body on the support of your toes and forearms. Back remains straight, forearms on floor, legs extended with toes touching the floor.

Hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Keep the hips up and abs tight.

Lower down the knees to the floor. Rest for 30 seconds

Repeat and do repetition of 4-5 planks

Doing all the above exercises along with having healthy diet will sure help you reduce tummy fat post pregnancy.